WP3-Wiki

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White Paper on Technology
Developed by TESOL Technology Advisory Committee (TAC)

Topic: Wikis

URLs:

Links for Teachers:
How to Make Wiki:
Where to get free??**
  • All of the above sites have at least free storage for personal wiki pages. Some of them have pricier options, if desired. Use Wikimatrix (below) to compare services, pricing and to help you choose the wiki appropriate to you. All of the above have the necessary features for educational purposes
Links to software related to Wikis:
Wikis for Students

Why this topic is relevant to ESOL Professionals

Wikis are one great resource for collaborative editing. Another possible source are using the online wordprocessors (available through google and adobe). Wikis provide several features which are useful for peer editing.
  • The ability to access the information from any where.
  • The ability to share the "document" with anybody that you want, assuming you both have an e-mail address, or "wiki" account.
  • Some ability to comment, this is mostly done within the document (not as robust as some word processing documents).
  • Ability to review versions, sometimes seeing who created the particular version.
  • Also able to revert to a previous version.
  • Ability to use the web based hypermedia to full benefit (ie. links and other forms of media).
  • Good storage house for personal media (videos, sound files, pictures, etc.); makes it easier to share these materials with others
A good example of the benefits of using a wiki for planning is demonstrated in this Common Craft video http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english. This demonstrates how collaborative planning uses the wiki to coordinate materials for better resources.
Why you need this information:
Why is a wiki space useful?
Links to example sites: Here you could give links to a few sites where teachers are already using Wikis in class.


How to get started:
Here is a very short explanation below, but if you would like to try it, and want more information, check out the links to http://pbwiki.com/education.wiki or http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Wiki.
  1. First, you have to have in mind the kind of project you want your students to be able to do. Clarity in this will make it easier for the project to work more effectively in the long run. There are many different kinds of wiki pages out there, and there are many kinds of account types. When you have a clear mind what you want, then you can visit Wikimatrix http://www.wikimatrix.org/ to help you decide which kind of wiki would be best for your class.
  2. Once you have your wiki location chosen, you will have to set up your own wiki for teaching purposes. There are a couple of ways to work on a wiki with a class, one way, you create an account, and all the students use that same account to access the information. Another way, you create a linking or class account, and students create their own accounts. You invite them to the class account to do group activities, and the students can work on individual projects in their personal areas. You will want to consider the technical ability of the students before you ask them to do things which are too technically difficult. Wikis can be confusing, so it is a good idea to have a lot of information readily available so that the confusion will be mitigated.
  3. Once you have your main account page setup, with all the information you need to start the class, you will have to invite your students to join. Usually, this amounts to sending an invite e-mail to the students. Students will then (usually) have to create their own accounts (you should suggest that they use user names and passwords that they already use so they can remember them easily). This always takes longer than it should.
  4. Once your students are enrolled, it is time to start collaborating!